Site 113
by headchief14
Summary: The Empire is in Chaos. Work Riots, Bread Queues, Colonial discontent, and the Frost. Site 113, 107, and 120 are the only hope for Liverpool if the Frost ever came. Four friends embark on a job for the Head Overseer of Site 113. They will face adversity from both man and nature. Will they complete the Generator? Or leave Liverpool to the Frost.


The first hit was always the worst. Douglas took the first punch, the other man's knuckles slamming into his face. The first ones always hurt the most. The other man backed off, fist still in the air. People surrounded the two, yelling and giving calls of support to one man or the other. "Just give up lad, you aren't going to win this!" the other man was a big burly man. There was an overbearing presence around the man as he riled up the crowd.

Those who had supported Douglas in this little escapade called out his name in support. "We haven't even started yet," he mumbled to himself as he clenched his fists. The larger man in front of him did the same. Jack was his name. He didn't know too much about Jack other than the fact he was the one who used to do the heavy lifting in one of the factories nearby. The odds were against him, in both physique and support. His name was heard much more predominantly than his own.

Douglas didn't waste anytime, stepping up to the man and throwing a right hook. The blow landed. But to Douglas' dismay, Jack stood there, he didn't even stumble back. Only his head jerked back. He looked back at Douglas with an unsettling grin. "Shit."

Jack threw another hook at Douglas. He raised his arm to block the hit, his body being forced back by the weight of the punch. Douglas quickly regained his balance only to take a nasty blow to the side. He can feel the searing pain build up as his breath nearly left his body.

Jack didn't let up, throwing another punch at his face, his knuckles collided with his cheek. He punched him over and over. Douglas can feel a bit of blood trickling down his face. His cheek was filled with searing pain. By then he was on a knee, enduring the pain. A blow landed on the back of his head. He nearly fell forward with the force he put into the punch. His ears rang, head throbbing with pain.

He felt strength return to his body as he felt more enraged at the abuse. He endured one last hit before he exploded with rage. He grabbed Jack by the leg, pushing forward. As he pushed forward, he lifted his leg. Jack, unsurprisingly, wasn't really flexible. He gave a surprised grunt as his leg was lifted off the ground. His arms flailing as he hopped trying to keep his balance.

Very shortly after, he lost his balance, falling over to the hard concrete floor. Douglas went on climbing up his body. Jack quickly went to sit up, but was instantly put down again by a quick jab to the nose. He cried out in pain, holding onto his nose as blood spurted out.

Douglas clawed his way on top of him, throwing punch after punch. Jack raised his hands trying to avoid what he did to him. How the tables had turned. The yelling around them grew in volume as he gained the upper hand. Douglas shocked the crowd as Jack's supporters were silenced.

One nasty punch after another. Jack's defenses began to slowly wear down. His hands fell to his sides as he took one last punch. Douglas raised his hand again. He stopped as he snapped back to reality. He had won. The noise around him died down a bit as the fight ended. People went about exchanging ration tickets. A lot of disappointed groans followed. He looked around for a moment before getting off his opponent, who was promptly dragged away. The throbbing pain in his head returned twice fold after a short while. He found a metal pillar to lean against as he sat on the ground. Hand on his bleeding cheek.

He stayed there for a bit, just trying to ignore the pain. There were only about half of the people left. Others went to leave for home or to the local pub. Douglas felt he could use a drink himself. Off in the corner of his vision, he could see a figure approaching him. The figure was a bit blurry. His eyes were still trying to adjust. The figure walked up to him, offering his hand. "He did quite a number on you, didn't he?" Douglas took the hand.

"Shut up and buy me a drink," Oliver gave a small laugh as he helped Douglas to his feet.

Oliver was a slight man with light brown hair. Much lighter than Douglas' near black hair color.

"Thank God I put everything I had on you. I was beginning to worry."

"My pleasure," Douglas croaked out as he rubbed his side. Everything was sore. Nothing a good pint couldn't fix. The building had practically emptied out by now. All that was left was two men at the doorway.

"Please! I- I need this ration!" the smaller man begged. Noah looked at the man with an exasperated look. He truly did look pathetic in a way. Pleading with the other, begging for his ration ticket back. Noah was of proportional weight making him look a bit more fit, his red hair making him an instant outsider to many people around him.

"Sorry, you know how betting works, not my fault you gave away your wife's ration ticket," the man cursed loudly before walking away. Noah sighed as he counted the ration tickets he won. It was then he noticed Oliver and Douglas. "Ah! There's our champion!"

"Shut up and move your arse to the pub," Noah gave a small laugh at Douglas' demand.

"Who was that?" Oliver asked.

Noah looked to Oliver and back to where the other guy was. He answered as he helped Douglas keep his balance, "Oh, just some moron who bet his wife's ticket." Oliver shook his head.

Douglas was too busy keeping his balance to comment on the topic. His head was still throbbing from the blows he received. Oliver went to help Douglas as well, placing Douglas' arm around the back of his neck. "Damn, did you gain weight Douglas?"

"I just want my Pint," said Douglas. He wiped the blood from his cheek. A bandage or at least a piece of cloth would do the trick.

"I'll be honest, he had us in the first half. I was afraid for my tickets," Noah laughed.

"Tickets?" Oliver asked putting emphasis on the s.

Noah nodded, reaching into his pocket and grabbing a handful of ration tickets. "I bet five of them," he pat Douglas in the back. "I swear to God, if you lost, I would've never forgiven you."

A small chuckle escaped Douglas, "I'm glad to hear my health is so important to you." Noah scoffed at the comment shaking his head.

"Oh I do care! If you were to get hurt, who would I put my bets on?"

Douglas only shook his head. It was about time they reached the Pub. Being a Saturday night, it was packed with people from the factories. Inside, the room was filled with laughter and curses. He can feel his head aching even more from the loud patrons. He was led to the counter where his friends ordered beer.

The beer arrived with Douglas picking it up and downing it. He can feel the hot rush flow down his throat. It felt good. He continued to drink, attempting to numb the pain. Oliver took a swig of his drink as well. He set his drink down looking at Noah.

Noah was counting the tickets he won. The amount he held looked to be many more than ten, "I thought you said you bet only five?" asked Oliver. Noah nodded, setting the tickets on the counter.

"I did, I bet five tickets… with several or so people…"

"Do you even have that many tickets?"

Noah gave off a hearty laugh, "Now I do." Douglas turned over to face Noah. He was tired and just wanted to sleep, but the topic of tickets reminded him.

"Where's my share?" he asked a bit groggily. Noah froze, he turned to Douglas with a half smile.

"What are you talking about-"

"I'm talking about the share you promised. You promised half," Noah gave off a small sigh turning to face Douglas.

"Look, I set the entire thing up, I'll give you a quarter," he handed Douglas a few from the large pile he made.

"I would've accepted that if you told me the fighter was Jack," Noah gave an exasperated groan. Douglas was nearly over the edge at that point. The fact he was nearly beaten to a pulp backed his claim on the tickets. To even make it worse, he didn't want to do it in the first place. _How did I let you convince me to do this?_

"I didn't know they were going to bring out Jack, I just set up the bets, when and where," Noah loudly retorted.

"And I was getting beaten for half the match I want half," after a moment of bargaining, Noah gave in. Cursing as he counted the tickets he had to hand over. _Why am I even friends with you? _He asked himself. In all reality he knew why, he found himself questioning it quite a bit.

A tap on Douglas' shoulder caught his attention. He turned around to see a man of normal height. Nice suit and a Newsboy cap to top it off. "Excuse me sir, I believe I've seen you lads in the Steel Mill before, no?"

Oliver turned to the man, "We have, we've also done some work in the mines." The man grabbed out a folded paper from his suit pocket.

"I'm Samuel Shelly from the Belfast Workers Union. You need to sign up!" Douglas fully turned towards Samuel, an irritated look dominating his features.

"Fuck off," was the simple reply Douglas gave before turning back around to pick up his pint. Oliver went on to quickly apologize to the man while Noah pocketed his tickets with a small laugh.

Samuel left with Oliver telling him he'd think about signing up. "It's not like you can sign up anyways. We don't have jobs." Douglas said.

Oliver sighed, "I know it's hard keeping a stable job nowadays."

"Especially with all the global cooling bullshit," Noah muttered out. Oliver silently disagreed. The two began to get into a small banter about the facts.

Douglas sighed. He had no idea what to think about the topic. He had told the two multiple times. _If they drag me into this again, there will be nothing to save them._ He thought. He was just tired in general.

"What about you Douglas? You got to have an opinion by now," and they did it. Noah was trying to drag him into this to try and tip the scales.

"I guess I'll just have to wait and see, but instead of arguing, I'd rather try and find a steady job that doesn't involve me getting beaten to near pulp," Douglas said loudly.

"Looking for a steady job?" the Bartender asked. "IEC has been going around looking for people willing to work," he said cleaning a glass.

Douglas looked to the Bartender. He was instantly interested. Any work was good in his eyes. "Did they say what the job was?"

The Bartender only gave a small shrug, "Not sure, they said not to ask for any details. All that I know is whoever joins will get good pay and go somewhere."

"Sounds a bit suspicious," Oliver commented.

"It's the suspicious ones that pay well," Douglas asked the bartender where they were hiring. The bartender set the glass down, looking up in the air searching for the memory.

"I believe they're mostly hiring people from Birmingham and London," Douglas' hope fell a bit short. He sighed slumping on the stoll he sat on. The bartender handed him a piece of cloth for his cheek which was still bleeding a bit. He gave a quick thanks. "Though, I heard they're struggling to put together enough people. They might open an office here.

"Eh, it's a bit far," The bartender shrugged. It sounded like a good deal, but he already had a small flat and quite a few things he had in town. It sounded a bit risky to just leave everything behind.

"If you change your mind, there should be posters and flyers set up soon." Douglas nodded in affirmation. Oliver finished up his pint as well, patting Douglas on the back.

"Well, if you lads don't mind, I'm off to home," with that, Oliver was off towards the door.

"Tell your wife I said hi," Noah snorted. Oliver was already out the door. Noah went back to ordering another pint. The pain had numbed for Douglas by then. He stayed there for a bit drinking a couple more beers. The next thing to do was to go home and pray the pain doesn't come back as harshly.

Douglas bid his farewell and left the Pub for home. Along the way he thought of all the events of the night. The most dominant thought of the fight. He clenched his fist for a moment at the mere thought of it. He took a large breath and unclenched his fists. _That was sloppy._ He shook his head. "What a shit day."

* * *

The next morning wasn't any better than the night before. His head and side still ached, but his cheek wasn't bleeding anymore. That was one plus out of many negatives. There wasn't much to do since he was laid off. Since then, he and his friends always met up in the industrial area, around the warehouses.

The walk from his house to there wasn't too long. Usually giving him enough time to gather his thoughts. Most of his thoughts were dedicated to not trying to throw up again. The morning wasn't only pain, but coupled with a hangover. He didn't remember having anymore than one pint, but it wasn't out of the question that he had overdone his drinking without knowing. The industrial district as always was bustling with activity. The normal workers strike, a small riot, bread lines. _Just another day in the Empire._

Douglas reached their normal spot. Only to see Oliver and Noah having a heated moment with another group of men. Seven men were there, It didn't look good either. He walked towards them to get a better idea of what was being said.

"Look! I don't have the tickets man! They're not on me!" Noah exclaimed fearfully. A blonde man was holding onto Noah. He took note of the man's height, he was shorter than Noah, but had him in a strong grip. Whatever it was this time, Noah better give him an extra ration ticket or two.

Oliver looked over to him, he looked a bit frightened. Oliver had hoped he'd come. He also had no idea what was happening, but Douglas was a much more intimidating man than he was. Hopefully he can maybe scare off the guy having Noah in his grip. The man's gaze soon landed on Douglas, an even deeper scowl appearing. "You!" he pushed Noah to the ground and approached Douglas.

A small sense of dread rushed through Douglas. _Am I seriously going to fight again? _He stopped walking, letting the other fast walk to him. He roughly grabbed Douglas by the collar of his jacket, looking up at him. "You're the fucker that did it, eh?" He had a distinct accent. Certainly not Irish, but of more Cockney origin.

Douglas raised his hands up in surrender, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Jack you piece of shit!" Douglas stared at him for a bit. He presumed he must be an angry family member or, worse case scenario, a gangster. "He still hasn't woken up!"

Douglas shook his head. He looked down to the guy having a vice grip on his jacket. _I like this jacket, I swear if he fucking ruins it. _"He's fine, probably just tired," Douglas said lowering his hands.

The man's grip tightened, "I'll fucking beat you to a pulp!" He raised his hand to strike him. It was then one of the guys with him patted him on the back pointing down the street showing him a small group of Bobbies.

The man gave a small chuckle, letting go of Douglas' jacket and backed off. A small mocking smile appeared on his face. "Better sleep with an eye open…" he and his cronies soon began to walk in the opposite direction from them.

Noah gave out a sigh of relief. "Lord, Thank God you're here Douglas," once they were out of sight he grabbed a handful of tickets.

"Goddamn it Noah!" Oliver exclaimed facepalming himself. "You nearly lost your teeth for a handful of ration tickets?" Noah nodded, he stuffed the tickets back into his pocket.

"Those tickets aren't worth the trouble, they'll get it from your hands. Warm or cold," Douglas walked closer over to the other two. He didn't like the attention they were getting now. Many of the passing workers looked at them with suspicion. _The tickets were definitely not worth it._

"Well, guess I'll keep it nice and cold for them then," Noah grabbed a cigarette from his coat pocket, lighting it with a match. Douglas looked around for a moment.

"Where's Eugene?" he asked.

"Right here," Douglas looked over to the new voice in the group. Eugene was walking towards them at a calm pace. He was a scrawny figure that towered over many of the people around him. He adjusted his glasses when he joined the group. "I saw them Blinders were messing with you,"

Douglas felt a small bit of laughter escape his throat, "Blinders? Is that what they really call themselves?" Eugene nodded.

"Fitting name, considering what they've done," Douglas just shook his head, a small scoff escaping him. He didn't really care what they were called or what they did. He just found the whole thing a waste of time and effort. Effort he could have easily used to get more rations or, as rare as it is getting, money. "Seriously though, word has it they're on the hunt. Would you lads have anything to do with it?"

Douglas gave a small shrug, "Maybe. For Noah it involves rations and me, it involves Jack." Eugene looked over to Noah with a shake of his head.

"Noah is still ripping people off then."

"Fuck you," Noah blurted out, puffing out a cloud of smoke. Eugene just shook his head looking back to Douglas.

"How is your job as an Engineer going anyways?" Douglas asked.

"Oh, I don't work anymore. They couldn't afford it," Douglas gave an understanding look gesturing to Oliver and Noah.

"We all have something in common then. Come and sit," Douglas gestured for the group to sit on a few crates laid out against a warehouse. The group went towards the crates. They stayed around the crates for awhile, talking. It mostly consisted of Oliver and Douglas catching up with Eugene with Eugene and Noah getting in small banter here and there. The constant banter annoyed Douglas enough to the point he'd ask about the Blinders. Something he'd rather not think about, but better than listening to Noah complain to him.

Eugene fixed his glasses, "I heard a few rumors. Like, a certain somebody beating the leader's brother to a pulp."

"He's fine. It wasn't that bad," He was really sick of the mere mention of his name. Though, newfound knowledge of the man's relations with Jack slightly worried him. He pushed the pangs of guilt down.

Eugene gave a small chuckle, "Clearly they think otherwise." Oliver voiced his concern for both of them. He was taking these guys seriously. Douglas thought he was taking them too seriously. Their short leader probably couldn't even reach Eugene's neck. Eugene grabbed out a cigarette, "Just be careful."

The group stayed there a while longer before heading to the Pub once it got dark. The Pub, with it being a Sunday night, was still pretty packed. The group entered and used what little money they had to drink away. Douglas was a bit more skeptical this time, not buying a drink after the unknown fiasco that took place the night before. He'd prefer to remember this night. Nonetheless, he still felt the call to drink, something he resisted with difficulty.

Before the drink can call for him any longer, he gave a quick farewell to the others and walked out of the Pub. He walked by the passing factory workers and carriages. He looked up to the open night for a moment. He gave a small scoff. _It's pretty chilly, maybe global cooling is a thing. _He still didn't know whether to believe it or not. He turned the corner to see a small work riot. It probably had around twenty people there. He sighed as he went straight on to his flat.

Along the way, a small boy bumped into him. He looked back at the kid and the kid looked at him wide-eyed before running down the street. He quickly checked his pockets. And to his surprise, nothing was out of place. Everything was where it was.

After a few more minutes of walking through people, bread lines and striking workers, he made it to the front door. It was then he heard a mass movement of feet moving around. He looked to his right then to his left. People were leaving the area in a small exodus. _Odd, what the Hell is happening? _He turned around to see the same guy from earlier. Jack's brother. He wasn't alone either. It was the same group as before, except there were even more men. All armed with a myriad of weapons. Shovels, knives, Hammers, anything that would hurt. Behind them was the same boy from earlier. He was behind one of the men and ran off towards an alleyway. Ration ticket in hand.

He stared at them for a moment. They were all just walking towards him, Jack's brother glared at him. Douglas had never seen such hate in someone's eyes before. No, that's not true, he knew someone else who has had the same look. Someone he knows well.

His gazed stayed on them awhile longer before he bolted through the door. He didn't want to see what would happen if he stayed. He ran up two flights of stairs before he found his room. He fumbled around for his key. _Which pocket was it in!?_ He searched for it in a few pockets not finding the key. He heard the door at the bottom floor fly open, banging the wall with such force it felt like it broke off the hinges. After searching all the pockets, he didn't find it. He looked around for a quick second to find it on the floor. He picked it up, quickly trying to fit it in the keyhole as quickly as possible.

The stomping of feet quickly approaching his floor didn't help calm his movements. He finally got the key in and twisted it. He rushed in, slamming the door behind him and locking it. He looked at his clothing Cabinet. He grabbed the top, pulling it down to block the door. The knob of the door turned, then they began to bang at the door.

He felt the adrenaline rush as he ran around his flat grabbing things. He opened a drawer, grabbing a photo, brass knuckles, his mother's jewelry, ration tickets, and the little money he had left. He looked to the door, a hammer found its way through the door followed by a loud bang with chunks of wood flying everywhere. He went to the nearest and only window in his flat, opening it up. By then, a hand reached through and unlocked the door.

The window was open and Douglas began to crawl through. The cabinet blocking the door was pushed out of the way. He was about half way before one of the Blinders grabbed him. Another was about ready to stab him with a knife. He panicked and kicked his assailant who was holding him as hard as he could. The man let go and Douglas found himself in free fall.

He was prepared for a lot of pain once he met the ground and when he did, he felt the air get forced out of his body. He landed flat on his back. He laid there in pain trying to catch his breath. The fall didn't hurt as much as he thought. He was certain that will change later.

One of the blinders jumped down grabbing him by the collar. He and another man pinned him down. Douglas struggled, cursing at them as they forced him up to his knees. He looked up at Jack's Brother, who glared at him. One of his cronies then smashed something on the back of his head and he blacked out.

* * *

Douglas began to slowly wake up. His head hurt more than ever. He opened his eyes to only see blur. _Where am I? _His eyes eventually adjusted and he woke up in a warehouse, tied to a chair. A few men stood around him smoking. He cursed in his head over and over again. This was bad.

The door on the far side of the room opened. Jack's brother walked in. A scowl present on his face as he stopped in front of him. Douglas looked up at the man. The leader took a deep breath, the scowl disappearing from his face. He looked Douglas in the eye, "I've been thinking about what I should do to you."

Douglas glared at the man. "If you're going to kill me then do it…" if he was going to die, he wanted it to just happen. No need to prolong it.

The man looked at him. A small frown forming on his face. "You know… Jack used to have that same exact look."

Douglas kept the look up for a bit before faltering. He looked down, finding more interest in his feet. "You didn't mean to do that to him, did you?"

Douglas sighed. He shook his head. "No, I didn't."

The leader looked at him awhile longer. He shook his head. "Why were you in that ring?" Douglas looked back at him. He debated answering him.

"I needed the rations," was the simple response he gave.

The leader pulled a chair up as well. Placing it in front of Douglas. He sat right across from him. "I thought so. Looking at your pathetic flat, I figured you needed something," He looked up for a moment before looking back at Douglas. "Why not join the Union?"

Douglas snarled at the mere mention of a union, "They can go fuck themselves."

The leader sighed as he shook his head, "You're a lucky guy you know?" Douglas looked at him. How could he be lucky in a situation like this? "Jack woke up this morning, he was confused, but it eventually came back to him."

He paused for a moment. Almost as if he were thinking what to say next. "Jack doesn't want me to kill you…" Douglas was shocked. He didn't want to have him killed? "But, you still hurt my brother. I can't let anyone escape that crime with impunity. So instead of killing you, we're going to take everything you have."

Douglas' head fell forward in both relief and anger. Not towards anyone else, but towards himself. Though, he felt more relief. _Everything… Everything just gone like that? _He was still processing the punishment.

The leader looked to the two other guys. They untied him and placed a suitcase next to him, "That has your clothes and everything that was on you. Now get out of here before I change my mind." He held onto a small crucifix. "The cold will probably kill you anyways…" he said almost as if he were trying to convince himself more than anyone else.

Douglas looked at him then the suitcase. He stood up, his head throbbed. He picked up the suitcase and walked out of the warehouse. It was morning, the light hurt his eyes. He walked out into the streets. There he stood, with nothing but a suitcase. Everything he had, gone just like that. He still wondered why he left him alive.

It didn't matter, he had nothing. He wandered the streets for a few hours, going around aimlessly. But not all was lost. A piece of paper was on the wall. It spelled out IEC, the Imperial Exploration Company. He remembered back to the bartender. _Maybe this is the restart I needed_. He looked back up walking to the Pub he and his friends always went to.

* * *

_It seems the suitcase had a bit less than what he claimed._ The open suitcase did have his clothes, haphazardly stuffed in. Though, there was no money, no tickets nor his mother's jewelry. He gave a small curse. Though, they did leave his brass knuckles oddly enough.

He rubbed his hands over his face for a bit. Small curses being let out here and there. That was the last of his stuff. He had no job, no money, nothing. Even his home was stripped bare of everything. Taken from him, now owned by them. The last chance he had was this company. The IEC or, Imperial Exploration Company, something he desperately needed. And fortunately for him, they had just recently opened an office in Belfast.

He looked back up from his spot. The Pub was starting to get a bit more crowded as the sun began to set. _They should be here soon._ His thoughts proved correct when the outlines of all three friends turned to the Pub. Douglas himself stood with a suitcase in hand to greet them. The three of them quickly converged to his position surrounding him and bombarding him with questions left and right.

"What happened? Everything in your flat was completely stripped!" Oliver seemed the most worried. He reassured their worries by answering their questions. Noah asked if he was safe from them.

"Yes, I practically paid for you," Noah gave off a small smile at the news.

"Ah! Good good, I'll find a way to pay you back! Anything you need!" Douglas just shook his head.

"I doubt you can give me back my flat," Douglas turned towards Oliver and Eugene. "I have an idea."

Oliver and Eugene looked at him quizzically, "We all join IEC and their expedition."

Oliver and Eugene looked at eachother. Oliver looked down, he had an unsure expression. Eugene looked a bit more thoughtful, more positive. "What? Are you crazy?" Noah blurted out. "We don't even know what we're going to be doing."

"It'll be something we can handle. We're just workers after all," said Douglas. He looked back to the other two. Eugene by then accepted. He had a lot to gain from the job, being the only skilled worker in the group.

"I'll join you, having the money would be nice," Douglas gave a quick thanks to him. Oliver on the other hand was still in thought. Douglas knew it'd be a hard choice for him. He had a wife and he knew it's a hard choice. Oliver then gave a nod.

"I guess you can count me in as well," Douglas looked at him. He was uncertain why he chose to do the job.

"I know it'll be hard leaving your wife alone for a long time,are you sure?"

"I'm sure," said Oliver. Whatever reasons he had, they must've been good, but he didn't push for an answer.

All that was left was Noah. He looked at the three of them with a perplexed face. "You're all bloody fools. You know that?"

"That's funny coming from you," Eugene joked. Noah glanced at him. He was speechless. Noah was in deep thought. _Probably weighing the options between his tickets or money. _He finally let out a small sigh.

"Fine, I'll go. I owe you one anyway," Douglas nodded. A small smile appeared on Douglas' face.

"Thank you," Noah just shook his head. Douglas knew he'd be a bit upset, but that was expected. He looked to the others. All eyes were on him, "Let's get ready."

* * *

Birmingham was just as lively as Belfast. To Douglas, the place was almost exactly the same. The bread lines, the work riots, basically home, excluding the differentiating accents. Him and his friends were grouped up next to the train station. They hadn't been told much. They were only introduced to the Company Officer, who gave a few quick words of reassurance and said that the Head Overseer and the Assistant Overseer will be there soon.

"Those tickets better be worth it.," Noah moaned. He looked annoyed. He lit another cigarette putting it to his mouth. He never really liked giving his things away, especially for things he wasn't too keen on doing. To see if this job was worth it or not is up for debate.

"Quit your complaining. There's probably a good reason for that." Noah puffed out a cloud of smoke towards Eugene. He didn't retort, only giving him a side glare.

Douglas ignored the small banter between the two, spotting a tall man walking up to the platform. He was deathly pale with white hair. It was obvious he was older, but he wouldn't have been able to tell from his stern face alone.

Workers and Engineers both quieted down once he began speaking. He introduced himself as their Head Overseer, James Ellesworth. Another man stood by him, much younger looking than James. Aland Thomas, he was the Assistant Overseer.

"We're in for it now…" Another worker said aloud. He turned to the group as Oliver inquired what he meant.

"James Ellesworth was a Captain in the Royal Army before he became an Overseer, same with his Assistant. Aland Thomas was a Lieutenant under James."

"How do you know that?" Eugene asked. The man just shrugged, his gaze up towards the platform.

"Heard of him a couple times when I was in the Army." That was enough to convince Douglas.

The Head Overseer continued speaking, "Our job will be in the North." He paused for a moment looking at the Company Office who nodded at him, "We will be constructing a Generator. Site 113." The crowd instantly went ablaze with whispers and sounds of uncertainty. Both Workers and Engineers, Believers and Sceptics went on talking.

Noah instantly let out a cry of disbelief. "This shit again? I swear, this is all just madness…" Oliver looked at Noah and shook his head. "Madness, no. Whether you or I are wrong, building this was the smart thing to do."

Douglas inwardly agreed with Oliver. "Besides, they're paying us nonetheless."

"I guess I can't argue with that."

The Head Overseer went on explaining to the workforce the importance of their job and the other sites in the area. Site 107 ad Site 120. After he finished they were all directed to a group of Company Employees, who supplied each and everyone of them a strange metal like box. He was told that it was a lamp. Both a light and heat source. Eugene was very interested in it. One of the employees explained that he will receive training in the boat on how to manage and repair Lamps.

They all were then gathered around the train, ushered in hastily by Company Employees. The train was soon off and they headed towards the coast. They found a cabin and took their seats. Oliver and Noah talked as Douglas looked out the window at the shrinking city of Birmingham.

* * *

The ship wasn't as cramped as he initially thought. Seventy-five workers and fifteen Engineers. Oliver and Noah were playing cards. Eugene was out with the other Engineers being taught about the Lamps.

Douglas' gaze was glued out the window as the ship traveled North. Strangely enough, the ship had no Cargo, just the necessities for the journey and them. _Perhaps they already have the Cargo there._ A loud crash of metal. The sound of metal scraping on metal making Douglas shiver with each scrape.

"Ah Damn it!" Douglas looked out the door to see two men struggling to gather up a box of Lamps. One of them was of fair size. Bald on the top of his head with hair on the sides, the most noticeable trait was the thickness of his neck. The other man looked to be in a much more healthy state, long hair. His Red shirt under his jacket caught his eye.

After Oliver finished helping them the bigger man breathed out a breath of exhaustion. "Thank you brother," he patted Oliver on the back. The other man thanked him as well. The two then struck a conversation with Oliver. Seeing that the interaction won't end anytime soon Douglas stepped out of his room to approach them.

"Oh, Douglas! Come over here!" Oliver ushered him over, a wide smile on his face. _That isn't good._ "Douglas, introduce yourself."

"Douglas Birn," Douglas meekly introduced himself to the two strangers. The two men then introduced themselves. The larger man introduced himself as George Davies and the more fit one was named Jacob Wright.

Whatever they were going to do, Douglas had a feeling Jacob would do fine, but he couldn't say the same for his friend. He looked like he would struggle getting to the Mess Hall. The three began talking for a bit longer before Douglas got bored. He told them he's going to rest and walked back to their Cabin. Noah was just sitting there with his Flat Cap over his face.

Douglas jumped on the top bunk, and rested his eyes. The three in the hallway continued talking a bit loudly too. Douglas sighed. _This is going to be one long boat ride._

* * *

**A/N: Hello and Welcome to my first fanfiction! I'm a bit excited and nervous to see how the reviews will go. Frostpunk is one of the best games I've played. And now with The Last Autumn out, it was just enough to inspire a story. I hope you all enjoy! All criticism is accepted!**


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